Mark-up table



- A. CLAEPP.

MARK UP TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19| 19l8.

1,305,062., Patented May 27, 1919.

/r/G. E,

BIRGER A. CLEPP, OE MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,

MARK-UP TBLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1919.

Application filed April 19, 1918. Serial No. 229,532.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BIRGER A. CLEPP, a citizen of the United States,resident of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mark-Up Tables, of whichthe following is a specification.

In selling merchandise at retail, the merchant often wishes to know whatthe selling` price should be in order that he may realize a certain percent. over the cost price and the merchant sometimes wishes to know howmuch he can afford topay for an article of merchandise to sell at acertain price and realize a certain percentage or prot.

The object of my invention is to provide a table by means of which themerchant at a glance can determine what the retail price should be tomake a certain percentage or profit and can also ascertain what he canafford to pay for merchandise that sells at a certain price to obtainthe desired percentage of prot thereon.

The invention consists generally in a mark up table, all as hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 represents a portion of a table embodyingv my invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of a table designed particularlyfor a certain line of goods, such as suits and overcoats, where the lineis smaller, and there is not such a wide range of prices either' in costor the selling price.

In the drawing 2 represents a sheet divided horizontally by parallellines 3 into a series of narrow spaces which are in turn dividedvertically by parallel lines 4L to form a series of rectangular spaces.The spaces at the left hand end of the sheet, which I will designate byreference numeral 5, and eX- ytending vertically of the sheet are usedfor the figures representing the cost of the articles and there .may bemore or less vertical rows of these figures, according to the number ofcost prices which the merchant may desire to appear therein. In thisparticular illustration I have shown three of these vertical rows andthey are preferably arranged in parallel relation, instead of onecontinuous row to economize in space and the size of the sheet. At thehead of these columns I preferably insert the words Cost per dozen,indicating the price the merchant paid per dozen for the articles on thesheet. At the upper edge of the sheet I provide a series of spaces 6with horizontal rows of figures therein corresponding in number to thecost columns and representing the retail prices, the words Retail eachbeing preferably inserted in a blank space in the upper left hand cornerof the sheet. In the spaces formed by the intersections of the verticaland horizontal lines corresponding substantially in form and which Iwill designate by numeral 7 I place figures representing the percentageof profit of the retail price over the cost, and if the merchant having,for instance, neckwear costing $4.25 per dozen wishes t0 know what hisprofit would be if he sells them at 50eA each, will note the figures atthe intersection of the lines forming the spaces in which the figures$4.25 and 50c appear, will find that the percentage of profit is 29,26%.If he has shirts costing $10.50 per dozen and wishes to make 30% profit,he will find that he must sell them for $1.25 each, and so on downthrough the various articles on the table.

If the merchant desires to find the mark up on goods costing less than$11.00, or the lowest figure'in the cost column, he can divide any ofthe figures shown in the three cost columns by ten and will therebyobtain additional cost figures, and the corresponding retail figures inthe proper line must also be divided by ten. In other words, the mark upof the multiple of any cost shown in the three vertical columns may beobtained, but the same corresponding multiple of the retail price in thecorresponding line of retail rices must also be used.

Should the merchant wish to find the mark up of any cost higher than thehighest figure in the cost column, he will divide both the cost and theretail by two and then find the proper mark up in the regular way. If astill higher mark up and higher retail is desired, divide by a highernumber, such as 3, to come within the scope of the table.

In buying merchandise, this table will be found extremely useful, as themerchant may be shown an article, such as a shirt, for which he willknow he cannot charge more than $1.50 retail. The question arises in hismind, then, how much can he afford to pay for a shirt retailing for$1.50 and be able to make a profit of approximately 35% with discount?Turning to the sheet, and the figures $1.50 in the retail row, followdownV the column to the figures 34.7%, the nearest to the profit hedesires to make, then move toward the left across vthe sheet :tothes'econd cost column and the figures $11.75 are found, Which representthe price the merchant 'can afford to pay for the shirts to sell at$1.50 and make va profit-of 34.7%. Thesame will be true of all the otherarticles on the sheet.

In Fig. 2 the same principle is `applied to a smaller line of goods,such as suits and overcoats, the cost price being shown in the ,verticalcolumn 8 at the left-hand vend of the sheet and the selling .price -inthe horizontal column 9 at the top and the percentage-figures inthelittle squares `10l formed by the intersection of vthe vertical Vandhorizontal lines.

In 4usingthis-table, ifthe merchant bought suits at $11.00 and Wishes-torsell 4them at $20.00,l1is `percentage of profit -Would 'Fbe 45%..This -ta'ble does not showany figures ofa quarter ofa dollar and 'inorder-to --find these percentages the merchant 'Will take themeanpercentage'of $11.00 and $11.59 for the $111.25 'cost and $11.50 and$12.00 for-the $11.f7 5 cost. Suppose vthe merchant had de-V cided onaselling vpri'ce'of $14.00 and Wants to'run as a special with a profitofsay 26%, what should he -pay yfor the suits? yAfter finding lthe figure14 in the horizontallr'oW at the top of the sheet, he uWilli-un downthiscolumn to the figures'representing v25%, 'the nearest to lhis desiredYpercentage of lprofit, and will` then follow the horizontal Vrovv tothe left Whereyin the verticalqcolumn of cost prices, -he 4Will find fthe figures $10.50, which represent the amount he can afford fto payforthe suit VWhichlie Wishes to {sell -at $14.00 and `realize a profitof approximately y26%.

In the same manner the.p'roper\ cost vprice can be vascertained from theotherdesired retail prices on the sheet. It Wi'llfbe understoodthat thesheets are ofy any suitable size for convenient reference, onlya-portionof thetop of each sheet fbeing shown fherein. The principle, however, ofascertaining the cost or retail prices or-fpercentages-'of yprofit isthesame throughout all the' figures onthe sheet vand consequently 1Ihav'eithoughtfthat an illustration of -a portionof-eachrsheet would besufiicient.

Assuming that the merchant Vhas a 2,5%

AGopies of this patent may becbtained for =overcoats should kbe ymarkedto sell at $16.00, $11.50 suits or overcoats at $16.50 and so on.l

In this Way the merchant is able to save a great deal of time inascertaining the proper selling price With the desired basis of profitor what he can afford to pay for garments to sell at a certain price andstill earn the desired profit. I claim as my invention: 1. A `mark uptable comprising a sheet divided by vertical and horizontal lines itoforma series of spaces, the spaces in a vertical column at one end ofthe sheet having the cost prices therein Yand the spaces in a horizontal.row at a longitudinal edge of the sheet having the retail pricestherein, and the'spaces on the sheetat-the intersection of thehorizontal and vertical columns Ahaving figures therein representingythe percentage of profit of the sellingpriceover the cost. 2. A 'markup table comprising a sheet,v

having cost figures in acolumnat one edge of the sheet and .retailfigures ina row at right angles tothe cost figures, the spaccs'on the`sheet at -the intersection of-straight lines through said cost andretail figures Vhaving figures representing the percentage ofprofit ofthe selling price overthe cost, or the percentage -Which :Willi-beearned when goods sold at a certain retail price are-bought at acertaincost. l I

3. A mark up -table `comprising a sheet divided vby 'vertical and"horizontal vlines vinto aseries of spaces, a series of columns/of costfigures being entered in said spaces at one end of the sheet andcorrespondinglnumber of rows of selling prices-being entered in saidspaces at one edge of the sheet,.the spaces at .the intersections ofsaid 'vertical and horizontal 'rows having figures therein representingypercentagesof profits whereby the merchant, knowing `the l cost zprice'and the desired percentage of profit, can readily determine the retailprice .for knowing the desiredretail price and percentage of profit, can4ascertain VWhatfthe cost should be.

In Witness-whereof, I have'hereuntoset my handfthis 13th day ofApril,v1918.

BIRGER A. CLEPP.

